Meerkats
are a type of Mongoose. The name Meerkat comes from the Afrikaans (Dutch
population of South Africa). The English translation is marsh cat, although Meerkats don't
live near marshes and they are not cats. Their proper scientific name is Suricatasuricatta.(Class - Mammalia , Order - Carnivora , Family - Viverridae.)
They were first named in 1776. There are three different subspecies of
Meerkats. It is suspected that there is a fourth subspecies but further research is needed
to prove this. I will follow the research and when proven will provide the details.

Suricata
suricatta siricata - Found in South Africa ranging in color from
brown to orange

Suricata suricatta majoriae - Found in
Nimibia whitish in color and banded around the eyes.

Suricata suricatta ?
- Found in the Southern Cape of Africa, orange bodies and gray heads (further DNA
research is needed to prove the 4th subspecies)

Meerkats are born with hair but not full coats and with their eyes closed. They
will live in the wild up to 10 years. However, in captivity they can live to be 15 years
of age. Although they are relatively healthy animals, they are unfortunately prone
to bovine tuberculosis and have been known to get rabies. When they are adults at about
one year of age they will weigh around 2 pounds (750 - 820 grams) and stand an average of
12 inches high (30 centimeters). When they are on all four of their feet their height is
only 6 inches (15 centimeters). Like all mongooses, they are agile hunters; however,
they differ considerably from most of their other relatives. Unlike the typical
mongoose of which there are around 35 types, Meerkats live in communities and depend on
one another for survival. There are three other types of sociable mongooses, the Banded,
the Kousi Mansi and the Dwarf mongooses. They also live in groups, but are not usually
found in the Kalahari desert. While most mongooses are nocturnal, Meerkats hunt
during the day. They live at night in burrows, which are complex tunnel systems
consisting of mounds, access holes, and tunnels which lead to numerous sleeping chambers.
A Meerkat community is called a mob or gang, and can number up to 40. There is
always a dominate alpha male and dominate alpha female in each gang. The Meerkats
larger mongoose relatives typically live alone or in pairs. These intelligent animals are
extremely communicative and posses a large vocabulary. They flourish in their environment
and are not endangered.

Meerkats
live in southern part of Africa which is dominated by the Kalahari desert - The
Kalahari spreads over the countries of South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Botswana, and
Zimbabwe. The Kalahari desert has little rainfall and an arid climate with open
plains. It spreads across the Southern part of Africa covering over one million
square miles and is 10 times the size of Great Britain. The land is covered by a
porous or soft sand that in many places is bright orange in color. The temperature
in the summer months of October to April can reach 115 (f) or around 40 (c) which can give
a sand temperature of 158 (f) or 70(c). In this harsh environment the difference
between being in the sun and shade can be up to 86 (f) or 30 (c). The winter months
from May to September are very different from the summer, you will see highs around 70 (f)
or 22 (c) during the short days and lows at night down to 14 (f) or -10 (c). Winter
is the dry season.

The average rainfall is 12 inches (300 millimeters) which
comes between January and April. This is towards the end of the summer. There is little
surface water but there is quite a bit of moisture below the sand. Generally, the
broad plains of the Kalahari are covered with a thin coat of different types of grass and
thorn scrub. When it rains during the summer, which is rare, the desert transforms
into a lush carpet of plants, grasses, and flowers.

The Kalahari consists of both soft and compacted sands, ranging in color from bright
orange to white. Meerkats like the soft sand when digging for food as it lessons the
energy requirements in this harsh environment. However, they prefer compact sand to
build their burrows which would collapse in softer sands. There could be any number
of reasons Meerkats flourish in this environment, though all relate to competition
for food and predators. One could speculate that the Meerkat may be a weaker type of
mongoose that would find competing for food with other mongooses a tremendous hardship or
that their coats would stand out making them easy prey for others. What is known is
that Meerkats have specially adapted to the Kalahari, which is described later. The
Yellow and the Slender mongooses also live in the Kalahari but generally live in harmony
with the Meerkats. This is primarily because they each have a different diet and are not
in competition for food. Unfortunately the Yellow mongoose will sometimes eat a Meerkat
pup (baby), so meerkats will keep their distance from Yellows when there are pups
around. Many other animals have also adapted over time in order to survive in this
harsh environment, making the Kalahari a remarkable and interesting place. Even within
this barren and harsh environment, animals and plant life flourish.

Animals in the Kalahari have a 40% lower metabolic rate then their counterparts in
other parts of the world. This adaptation allows animals to survive with less food
and water. Of course,the Kalahari's intense heat puts animals at risk of
overheating, making the ability to efficiently regulate body temperature a necessity.
Body size is key, the smaller the animal the faster the loss and gain of body
heat. The "mouse-to-elephant curve" measures this relationship. The
general idea is as follows, a gerbil has a 50 times higher metabolic rate than a
elephant (per gram of bodyweight); therefore, the amount of energy from food that the
gerbil needs to maintain its body temperature is greater than the elephants, making the
need for food gathering almost constant. The Meerkat looses 5% of its body weight
over night making the search for food very important every day. Can you imagine
losing 5% of your body weight over night ? They can also get their fluid
requirements from what they eat, so water sources while not a neccessity are helpful.

by: Lester Levy
Jr

Meerkats.net

Meerkat characteristics
- Meerkats at adulthood will grow to a standing height of 12 inches (30 centimeters) and
weigh around 2 lbs. (750-820 grams). A pregnant female will weigh around 2.8 lb.
(1.1 kilos). Their legs are short and their bodies are long and thin. Their tails are
also long and thin with a dark tip. The reason for the dark tip is to identify other
gang members while foraging for food. Meerkats forage for food with their tails in an
upright position enabling them to easily identify their fellow gang members. Meerkats
reach sexual maturity at 10 months and adulthood at 11 months. Both males and females
share similar physical traits such as short hair and gray or tan markings. The
markings on their backs are unique and no two are the same. They have dark
brown or black bands around their eyes. Their ears are tipped with black or dark brown.
They have dark bands on their sides and back. Their faces and throat are predominately a
shade of white. There are four digits on each foot with very sharp non-retractile
claws which are curved. They use their claws to dig their burrows. Meerkats also have the
unique ability to close their ears, this is to keep dirt out while they burrow, which they
do quite often.

Meerkats fur ranges in color from silver to orange to brown. Much of this depends
on the subspecies as well as the sand color in which they live.Even in close proximity in
the Kalahari you will find Meerkats with tanish fur in the dried out riverbeds and orange
fur in the dunes above. Their coats have a great ability to act as both an insulation to
keep heat in and an exhaust system to prevent them from overheating in the harsh
climate. In the winter they will spread their hair out so to create a heat insulation
effect much like a wet suit. Their stomach acts as a sort of solar panel during the
winter months. Under a thin layer of stomach hair is a patch of dark skin which collects
heat from the winter sun in order to provide warmth on cool days.

Meerkats vision is outstanding. They have a dark band around their eyes, which
reduces any glare from the sun. As a result, Meerkats have the ability to see a
predatory bird as they look directly into the sun. A Meerkat removes sand from its eyes by
blinking. Between the eye and eye lid there is a white membrane called the
nictitating membrane. This membrane acts as a windshield wiper and removes sand from their
eyes with every blink. However, their ability to see things close up is not as good.
Furthermore, they seem to have a problem with depth perception, not being able to focus
within 20 feet (6 meters) of themselves. Often they will bob their head up and down
trying to get the perspective right. As a result of this nearsightedness, they will often
miss food directly in front of them. They often depend on their sense of smell to
find food.

babies eating
scorpion

meerkat.org

Meerkat cuisine.-
Agile Meerkats always forage for their food in groups but catch and eat their food alone
as their diet usually consist of small portions. As they search for their food they
spread apart from one another on the desert floor. This distance between foraging
Meerkats averages from 6 feet (2 meters) to 45 feet (15 meters), but can extend to 150
feet (50meters). The distance often depends on the availability of food. Generally
Meerkats stay at their burrow one or two nights, so there line of foraging is usually from
one burrow system to the next. During the winter when there is no grass and food is
sparse they have been seen being as far as 150 feet (50 meters) apart. In the late summer
when desert grass may reach three feet high and food is abundant they will forage about 6
feet (2 meters) apart. Meerkats frequently communicate with each other while they
are looking for food in order to warn of possible dangers in the area or hear a distress
call if one gets lost. Usually there is a Meerkat acting as a sentry watching for
danger as the others look for food. This is usually the one that is the best fed at
the time, there is no evidence that either sex has a predominance for sentry duty.
If trouble arises, an alarm is sounded by the sentry and the gang will band together in a
mob ( a mob is when Meerkats band together to fight) to assess what the danger is, and
take appropriate defense actions. Meerkats will sometimes collect food for their pups
and babysitters back at the den. The young pups as they learn to search for food will
follow the adults to help supplement their diet. Current studies show that the pup
that gives the loudest begging call gets the most food from the adults.

Most
of the Meerkats food is found underground and their specially adapted bodies are perfect
for this. Their front claws are curved and act as shovels. They often have to
dig their own body weight in dirt just to get a small insect. Foraging for a Meerkat
means digging here and there and occasionally finding a tasty morsel on the surface then
moving forward with the gang on the endless search for food. A typical Meerkats diet
consists of worms, crickets, grasshoppers, small rodents, lizards, small snakes, birds,
eggs, fruit, and ant larvae (which they especially love). Insects are a
particularly good source of nutrition for the Meerkats because they reproduce rapidly and
supply an almost constant food source. I have even had the rare chance to see a Meerkat
find a Kalahari truffle which is rare and very expensive in stores. He seemed to enjoy it
immensely. Meerkats also love to eat poisonous scorpions which are plentiful. They do this
by quickly biting off their stingers and then consuming the rest. Meerkats appear to
be resistant to many deadly venom's which greatly increases the variety of their diet. A
Meerkat will often drag any poisonous prey such as a scorpion or millipede across the sand
before eating it. They do this to remove the chemical defenses of their soon to be
meal. They will make use of a water source if one is nearby but Meerkats have
developed the ability to get all their liquid requirements from their diet. In the summer,
the Meerkats must work harder to get their food because the insects have burrowed deeper
in the sand in order to be closer to moisture. The rain brings the insects back to
the surface, which means feast to the Meerkat.

The Meerkat home
- As mentioned previously, the Meerkats live in underground burrows which consist of
entrance holes, tunnels, and sleeping chambers. There may be up to 70 different
entrances to the burrow system which may also serve as an exit if the Meerkat is inside
the burrow system. They are territorial and maintain an area of about one to three square
miles. Their territorial expansion depends on the size of the gang, as well as,
the abundance of food and water in the area. Meerkats mark their territory with the
use of their anal gland or saliva from their cheek. This marking is done by the alpha male
of the gang. They will protect their boundaries ferociously against other gangs. They
have from 6 to 15 dens in their territory and will move dens every day or two. The
breeding burrow ,which is where the offspring are born, is an exception to the frequent
moves. Meerkats will stay at a breeding burrow for about three weeks. It is at this
time that the young are able leave the burrow and start to learn to forage for food with
the adults. In addition to this, the parasite loads become heavy in the burrow and fill
with ticks, fleas and other undesirables after three weeks. Breeding burrows differ
from other burrows in that they will have higher mounds of sand around the entrance holes.
This is a result of the continual renovation of the tunnels and sleeping chambers
necessary for the longer stays. The mounds of dirt around the entrances can reach up
to three feet high. When breeding is successful Meerkats often return to the same breeding
burrows to have there young. As the Meerkats rotate burrows, the insect population of
each abandoned burrow has the opportunity to multiply. Furthermore, the burrow system
itself needs to regenerate while the feces left behind becomes food for other animals and
the parasite load decreases. When dens are not being used, snakes and ground
squirrels often find them to be convenient residences. Mixed everywhere in the Meerkat
territory are bolt holes. A bolt hole is a small system of entrances and tunnels
between burrows. These bolt holes give Meerkats a place to take cover if danger
arises if they are out foraging.

The strategic reasoning behind such an elaborate construction of multiple entrances, is
to provide many alternative exits if a dangerous intruder should invade their home.
Likewise they have multiple entrances in the burrow if the danger is from the
outside. They sleep in groups, cuddled up or on top of each other for warmth as they
are particularly sensitive to the cold. In the summer they tend to space out when they
sleep. Their sleeping chambers are usually 6 to 8 feet under ground. This keeps the
temperature in the sleeping chamber at a more constant level, cooler in the summer and
warmer in the winter. There are several sleeping chambers in the den but they will only
use one at a time, in the breeding burrows there will be more sleeping
chambers. They will move sleeping chamber because of build up of contaminates.
What may seem odd to you is, Meerkats will urinate in their dens. This could
be for several reasons first it may aid in a marking system to one another. Second
Meerkats don't survive well alone so to go outside at night to go to the bathroom is not a
prudent thing. In captivity though Meerkats can be trained to go to the bathroom in
a litter box. There are certain beetles that share their den that they don't
eat. These insects will eat their deification. Above the tunnel system, there
is usually a dirt mound resulting from all of their excavation. This higher vantage point
serves as a lookout point for the small Meerkats. From this outpost of sorts, they can
survey the terrain for predators. This done in the the morning before they leave the
burrow for foraging and in the evening before they go to bed.

Other animals, such as squirrels or the yellow mongoose, sometimes share the Meerkats
burrow. Because these animals do not compete with the Meerkats for food, they are allowed
to share the den. When pup are born they will keep the yellow mongoose away because
they will eat a Meerkat pup. Predators, such as cobras, are not welcome houseguests.
Meerkats will purposely harass a cobra in the open so to discourage it from
entering the den.

Meerkats sometimes move their territories when food becomes to sparse or when another
gang of Meerkats forces them from their previous den. Often territories overlap one
another and a stronger Meerkat gang will overtake a weaker gangs burrow system. This
forces the weaker gang to take the loss and try to expand in another direction, or
wait tell they are stronger and retake the lost burrow system.

Family standing on home

meerkat.org

babies feeding

meerkat.org

Mating and
reproduction- Meerkats try, but do not usually mate for life. Mating in
the gang is suppose to be reserved for the alpha male and alpha female, but things happen
to change this. First the alpha male might die or be overthrown by another male from
inside their gang or another gang. Or the alpha female might mate with a male from a
wondering male from another gang while out foraging for food, the alpha male never
knowing. What they won't do is mate with another direct family member. When the
dominate female is ready to breed she will chase away all the other beta families that can
bear children, this will be females at 10 months and older. The temporary outcast
will follow the gang until the alpha female has had her pups (babies) and regains her
strength. This is done because she wants only her offspring in the gang and another
beta female might try and displace her during her weakened time of giving birth. The
trailing females often get impregnated from males from other gangs they encounter.
Often they will abort these births. If the do give birth they will attempt to sneak
them in with the pups of the alpha female. The alpha female will if she notices kill
and eat the beta females babies. The beta female have about a 20% chance of getting
the young snack in with the alphas females pups. A interesting note, if the alpha
female pup die, no other meerkat will eat them. A few days after the birth of the
alphas pups, the once outlasted females will rejoin the gang and help with the giving milk
to the new pups if they are able. It was once observed that a beta female killed the
alpha females pups just after birth and replace them with her pups a few days later,
the alpha female not knowing the difference. They can breed every two months
but tend to successfully breed two to three times a year depending on food
availability. There was one gang observed breeding four times in a year. The
gestational period is 70 days resulting in a litter of usually five to six. The pregnant
female will increase her body weigh approximately 40% gestation (see - Meerkats are a type
of mongoose). The babies, called pups, are born with sparse fur and eyes closed.
For the first two weeks they stay in the sleeping chamber and drink their mothers
or milk producing females. The third week they will venture outside and stay around the
burrow system with a babysitter. . During this period when the alpha female is not
feeding the young, babysitters will watch the pups while the alpha female goes out to
feed, fortifying her supply of milk and her strength. She will do less sentry duty
at this time and never babysitting. From week 4 to week 6 the pups will forage with
their elders getting nourishment from both milk and insects. At 6 weeks to 16 weeks
they will find their own food as well as be supplemented by the elders, and no longer
getting milk. Studies show that the pups that make the loudest begging calls get fed
the most from the elders. After sixteen weeks they are on there own to find there
food Each pup will be taken on by a adult Meerkat which will act as a mentor, who
will take the responsibility to teach the pup necessary skills for foraging for food as
well as responding to danger. Male Meerkats tend to mentor male pups and female
Meerkats tend to mentor the female pups. Many of skills Meerkats have are taught by
the mentors rather then being instinctual.

Meerkats reach sexual
maturity at 10 months, and reach adulthood at 11 months. After 10 months a Meerkat
may venture out of the gang looking for breeding opportunities. They may also leave
to form new gangs or join other gangs. They also may stay with their original gang
for up to three years before venturing out. They also may leave in groups of two or
three. It takes a brave Meerkat to leave the gang because the road out if filled
with many dangers for the sole are small group.

Typical day of a
Meerkat - Meerkats are extremely social animals. Observing Meerkats is
a wonderful experience. They love grooming one another, wrestling and playing
with one other. They have avid curiosities and can make a toy of almost
anything. Even with all this play, Meerkats do not ignore the need for
security. One Meerkat always seems to be a sentry and stands guard to keep the
gang safe.

There typical day consist of, they wake up early in the morning as the first
rays of sun stretch across the Kalahari. The first to come out of the burrow is
usually the last one in from the preceding night. This Meerkat surveys the area to
make sure the coast is clear after that the others start to rise one by one from several
entrances. They start by soaking up the sun to warm up there bodies from the nights
sleep by facing the sun and using their stomachs as solar panels.. One may observe
some digging around the entrances, this seems to be more like exercise to warm their
bodies up. Then the young start to scurry around play and grooming one another, as
the elders spend time grooming sunning. Once hunger starts to set in, the search for
food is on. The alpha male sets the direction for the day and decide weather or not
to move towards another burrow system.. Scurrying hear and there and digging here
and there, but always one is on sentry. As the day goes on and the heat sets in they
will stop for a rest. These rest periods are longer during the summers but so are
the days. As the day cools they are off again in the afternoon in search of food.
Just before sunset they will arrive at the den for the night. At this
time they will commence on repairs of the den as well as well deserved grooming and giving
one another affection which is really marking one another with the anal gland or cheek
saliva. As the sun falls, they descend one by one into the burrow for sleep all
huddled together. Lastly, they don't like the rain and will stay in their burrow and
not forage for food until the rain stops.

Interestingly enough Meerkats seem to identify one another my smell rather than sight.
That is why the are constantly marking one another. For instance if a Meerkat
gets separated for some time and try to rejoin the gang, the gang will think it is a
intruder and get in a mobbing defense stance ( mobbing is when they huddle together so to
look bigger and present aggressive behavior) until they smell what they think is the
unknown Meerkat. Once the sent is recognized everything is fine.

Two babies playing - by -Alain Degre

A sentry in a tree

by:Alain Degre

Meerkats
social structure - To survive, Meerkats must live in groups for protection, as
the desert presents many challenges. Each Meerkat has an important, role to
perform. It was first thought Meerkats had well defined roles in their gang from
being a sentry to baby sitting to foraging for food for the young. Recent studies
have disprove this and actually show that hormonal changes in Meerkats influence
their behavior. Also the conditions around the burrow system effect their
responsibilities. When food and water is abundant more time is spent being
sentries, renovating the burrow systems, relaxing and caring for the young. Some things
are instinctual while others are taught to the pups by the elders. For example
raising young is a learned behavior for Meerkats. If a pup is separated at birth and kept
as a pet, and the pup gets pregnant. She will not know how to raise her young or
teach them how to forage for food. Meerkat roles vary:

alpha male - Dominate male of the gang, has breeding rights
to the alpha female.
The dominate male is not necessarily decided by the largest male in
the gang.

alpha female - Dominate female of the gang, all betas are
subservient to her.
Only one that is suppose to breed in the gang.

beta male - Subservient males will leave the gang by 3
years in search of better
breeding opportunities. They are 10 months or older

beta female - Subservient females will support the alpha
Meerkats. They will
be driven temporally from the gang by the alpha female when she
is ready to get pregnant. They will leave the gang by 3 years in
search of better breeding opportunities. At 10 months or older
they are at sexual maturity.

pups - Meerkat babies, 10 months or younger.

babysitter - Stays with the pups while the gang is out
foraging for food.
Different gang members take the responsibility different days, this
is not domiated by males of females. Generally though the least
hungry Meerkat will do the babysitting. The alpha female never
baby-sits. This duty is for Meerkats 6 months or older.

sentry - Watches over the gang to spot danger. It is
either done standing on the
ground or climbing a tree or bush. Known to climb up to 30 feet in a
tree to do sentry duty. This duty is not dominated by males or female.
There is a sentry on watch both at the burrow system as well as when the
gang is foraging for food. During times of less available food less
sentry duty is done when searching for food.

excavating - Necessary to renovate burrow systems.
Often Meerkats will get
one behind another and work together to move sand out of the
burrow system. Like how firemen would hand buckets of water to
one another to put out a fire in the old days.

mentoring - A elder Meerkat will take on the responsibility
of teach a pup the
do's and do don'ts of being a Meerkat. This includes how to raise
young, how to forage for food, and what dangers lurk about.

grooming - Meerkats like to groom one another, and in fact
have a natural reflex
to groom when the area where there back and tail meet is stimulated.
They will remove ticks and fleas from one anther and actually eat
them, though these parasites are not a normal part of the diet

play fighting - Often done by the young in the morning and
to a lesser degree in
the evening. Adults will also play fight. This teaches the young
to fight as well puts a dominance order to the gang.

Beta males and famales often leave the gang by three years to live with different gangs
or join together to form different gangs in order to increase their chances to
breed. Meerkats that embark on this journey alone or in groups of two or three face
great danger, as Meerkats are most vulnerable when they few in number. Sometimes Meerkats
will ally themselves with one another and takeover another gang, and getting rid of the
competitive alpha male and perhaps the alpha female.

The size and makeup of the meerkat community determines what duties each will have.
There is usually a dominate male and female in the community although there also
seems to be a second in command. I have seen a case where the alpha female was
killed and the alpha male did not seem to know what to do. He had not taken on
another alpha female because that would mean a female from the outside. It was felt
he would at some point leave the gang in search of throwing out another alpha male from a
rival gang. The alpha male is responsible for marking the territory, some of the
foraging trips turn into more of scouting trips so the alpha male can mark the outer
boundaries of the territory. These tend to be days of more movement and less
foraging for food.

Fights happen between rival Meerkat gangs. It generally happens for two reasons.
One is territory conflict. When one gang encroaches on another gangs
territory. Once the two gangs come in contact with one another they group up
together and fluff their fur out and jump up and down to make themselves appear bigger,
also making allot of noise. This is called mobbing. Each gang is assessing the
others strength. Sometimes they separating and go opposite directions other times a
ferocious fight breaks out. Meerkats will kill rival gang members if they can.
Also during a fight 2 or 3 Meerkats may jump on a rival biting and scratching
him. It will look like a big pile of dust. During or directly after attacks, the
dominant male will take a few minutes to asses the situation and decide weather there was
a victory or his gang members have fled, in this case he will retreat himself. The
other case happens when roaming Meerkats either solo or in small groups are looking for
better breeding possibilities try to join other gangs. Mobbing occurs and they may
be or may not be successful at joining the gang..

How did the
Meerkat evolve - According to Sean Doolan, they evolved from the southern
tip of Africa or the Cape of Good Hope,where a type of extinct Meerkat, called the
Suricata Suricatta major, has been found . The extinct Meerkat was similar to the
banded mongoose. The current theory is that the Meerkat evolved from the banded
mongoose. As the weather climate changed in the region, so did the Meerkats ability to
survive in drier conditions.

Why the meerkat stands - Meerkats walk and run on all four, there head is only six
inches above ground in this state. When they stand, their total height is 12 inches,
providing them with a much better vantage point to see danger. In order to attain an even
better vantage point, they will also climb trees and bushes. Their vision is good
but depth perception does not appear to be as strong. They bob their head up and
down to get distance measurement when objects or close. this gives them different
focal points.When facing a threat, they will stand, arch their bodies and erect their
tails in an attempt to appear bigger.

What threatens
Meerkats? - The threats to a meerkat come from sky, land and
weather. In the sky, the Martial Eagle, with a wing span of six feet, can easily
prey on adults, while other smaller birds of prey prefer to snatch the young. When
the winged predator is seen the alarm goes out and all sprint for nearby bolt holes. If
they are not near any bolt holes the will lie on the ground and depend on camouflage They
also may take cover in thorny bushes where the birds dare not venture. On the
ground, the jackal and other wild cats are the Meerkats primary foe; however, when banded
together, Meerkats have the ability to chase away a jackal. Badgers can also be a
threat, as their burrowing can penetrate the Meerkats den making them more vulnerable
prey. As mentioned previously, the cobra sometimes threatens meerkat young.
Meerkats will mob a cobra relentlessly if it tries to enter their burrow. They are
agile enough to avoid a snakes strike. They even have the ability to kill a cobra.
If they come across one while our foraging they will temporarily mob it and once
the situation is under control move on. A puff header snake will also eat Meerkat
pups. I have read about a sighting in which a group of Banded mongooses actually
climbed a tree to rescue one of their family members from a eagle. Both the Banded
mongoose and the meerkat have similar social habits.

Meerkats are also threatened by
other competitive gangs as mentioned above. The sentry's alarm will sound if another
gang of Meerkats is encroaching upon marked territory. The fights are fierce but
sometimes fatal as submission is the goal. The winners, usually the larger of the
groups, take or keep the burrow system in question. One interesting note after the fight
and Meerkats try and rejoin there gang small fight break out because they have difficulty
recognizing each other by sight. The Meerkat rejoining their gang may smell like the
rival gang. After the conflict, the winners will hug and congratulate each other
with human-like gestures, this is rely remarking each other.. Often
non-dominant Meerkats defect from the losing group to the winner's side.

The summer rains also threaten the Meerkats. When rain approaches, the sentry
sends the alarm off. As there are often newborns during this time, they must make
sure the are on high ground so to avoid a flooding of the burrow system. The alpha
female will transport the young one by one to the higher ground burrow. At night they may
get stuck in a flooding burrow system.

The most
famous of all Meerkats - There are two famous Meerkats that should be mentioned
One is Timone, who was featured in the Lion King. Timone, the cartoon
character, is based on the real-life Meerkat Timone who which is domesticated resides
outside of Palm Springs, California at the only private refuge for Meerkats in
existence. For more information, visit www.meerkats.com.
You can actually go and visit Timone and hand feed other Meerkats there. I did and it was
a terrific experience.

The second is Ziziphus of the Lazuli gang. She is a wild
Meerkat and lives in the Kalahari and has been the subject of numerous documentaries and
films. One of her more prominent projects is Walking With Meerkats which is a
National Geographic documtory filmed in 2000.

Meerkat
communication - Meerkats constantly communicate with one another in three
different ways: scent, sound, and body language. There have over 20 different sounds
that have been recorded which have different meanings. These calls can be broken
down into six different groups: lost calls, alarm calls, leading the group calls, pup
feeding calls, guarding calls, and foraging calls. For example, while out looking
for food, they are are constantly communicating in what sounds like a kind of
growling. It helps them to keep track of one another's location since they forage up
to 15 feet (5 meters) apart. When the young are learning how to forage, they are
very loud and can be heard up to a hundred yards away. If they become separated from the
adults, the volume of their cries increases so that an adult will come to get them.
They have numerous sounds that are used when grooming and playing

When on guard duty, there is an entirely different assortment of sounds employed. These
sounds are constant and communicate to everyone else what is happening during the
watch. When everything is fine, the sentry emits mellow tones. When a predator is
spotted at a distance, a beeping sound is given, almost like a yellow alert. If the
predator gets closer, the sound differentiates depending on the type of predator. The
martial eagle tends to get the most frantic alarm even from great distance.
Meerkats allow some predators to get very close before they sound the red alert (up
to 100 feet from the den).

One last interesting point, sound can be broken up into one, two, three, and even four
syllable calls.

In the Savanna desert, temperatures can vary greatly. Remember, Meerkats live on
southern hemisphere as opposed to the United States and Europe which are on the northern
hemisphere. South of the equator and the seasons are opposite of those in the northern
hemisphere. The Kalahari summer is considered the wet season, . The summer
months October to April temperature can reach 115 (f) or around 40 (c) which can give a
sand temperature of 158 (f) or 70(c). In this harsh environment the difference
between being in the sun and shade can be up to 86 (f) or 30 (c). The winter months
from May to September are very different from the summer, you will see highs around 70 (f)
or 22 (c) during the short days and lows at night down below freezing to 14 (f) or
-10 (c). Winter is the dry season. Because of these dramatic temperature changes,
their feeding habits change accordingly

In the wet season or summer, Meerkats get up early in order to avoid looking for food
in the heat. As the day gets warmer, they look for food in shaded areas. At mid-day
they return to their den or find a nice, shaded spot for a mid-day nap. If they nap
outside, they will lie on their belly with legs stretched out and often throw cooler
sand on their back. They will pant during the summer this aids in reducing their
body temperature. The yellow mongoose shares this behavior. They wake for a late afternoon
feeding which ends at sunset. This season is a virtual feast for Meerkats, as the rain
brings out an abundance of food and vegetation especially towards the end of summer from
January to April. Grasses on the dunes can reach heights of over three feet tall!
Meerkats will eat to their hearts content and their little bellies stick out.

In the dry season or winter, they wait until it warms up a little (9 a.m.) to go and
look for food. No mid-day naps at this time. They stay out all day and get
back around 4:30 p.m. Meerkats then remain in their den to avoid the rapid and
severe temperature change night brings. Food is not as abundant during this time and
foraging for food is more difficult. They have to do allot more digging and cover
more territory to find adequate nutrition. They will also eat ants, ant eggs,
millipedes, and small beetles which are less appealing to them than their summer favorites
of lizards, insect larvae, and scorpions.

Meerkats like most other living creatures
change their behavior patterns as conditions change. As one reads about the
charertistics of any animal you must know whether the animal was observed in captivity or
in the wild. Unfortunately most of what has been written about Meerkats has been in
captivity, because of the remote habitat where they live makes it hard reach.
Therefor it is interesting to understand how their behavior changes when confined to
zoos.

The gang will find many
differences in captivity. For example food will be abundant and the
normal procurement of food such as digging is not necessary. Also space is
significantly limited. So the Meerkats will not migrate from burrow to burrow, but
stay in one burrow system. They also are not able to forage for food keeping
them within meters of there burrow system for their whole lives. Predators are non
existent in captivity so there alert systems are dulled. In captivity one will find
Meerkats living longer and bigger. Meerkats do fine in captivity, in fact for the
Meerkat which spends most of its time looking for food in the wild, this is probably a
vacation. In captivity Meerkats are known to mate up to twice a year while in the
wild they only mate once a year. Their cuisine is quite different to. In
captivity the keepers may feed mice, worms and other sorted insects locally
available. A Scorpion, a Meerkat delight would never be seen. Meerkats that
don't get along with the gang will be separated and put in another habitat.

Would Meerkats make good pets? - The answer to this question is no, not
really. In the United States, you need special permits to keep these animals.
The government mandates strict specification for Meerkats enclosures as well as
their climate. Meerkats will think your family is their gang and the are the alpha.
When you have guest to your home they will get aggressive towards them. A
host of other animals would make more appropriate pets! I have run into many people
in southern part of Africa that keep Meerkats as pets and say they can be friendly.
They are terrific pets though if you have a scorpion infestation problem.